Image source, EPA

Iran notified its neighbours of its retaliatory strikes on Israel 72 hours in advance, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says.

"About 72 hours prior to our operations, we informed our friends and neighbours in the region that Iran's response against Israel was certain, legitimate, and irrevocable," he says.

He also says Iran informed the US that its attacks against Israel will be "limited" and for self-defence, during a meeting with foreign ambassadors.

A little earlier, we heard from Rishi Sunak, who confirmed UK planes intercepted weapons launched by Iran towards Israel.

Here’s everything else that Sunak said:

• The UK participated in an “international coordinated effort”
• The RAF sent additional planes to the region as part of existing operations to “counter Daesh in Iraq and Syria”
• RAF planes shot down “a number of Iranian attack drones”
• Sunak condemned the attack as a “dangerous and unnecessary escalation”
• He confirmed he will be speaking to G7 leaders in the afternoon and urged for “calm heads to prevail”

In the next few moments, security correspondent Frank Gardner and international editor Jeremy Bowen will be discussing last night's events and sharing their expert analysis on what the situation in the Middle East is now on BBC News.

You can follow along live by pressing the Play button at the top of this page.

More now from Sunak.

"What we now need is for calm heads to prevail," he says, adding that the UK will be working with its allies to de-escalate the situation.

We're hearing from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak now.

He condemns Iran's attack on Israel last night, and confirms UK jets shot down a number of Iranian attack drones.

The UK participated in an “international coordinated effort” to intercept the missiles and drones Iran fired, he says.

“The RAF sent additional planes to the region,” he adds.

Sunak says Iran's attack was a "dangerous and unnecessary escalation which I've condemned in strongest terms".

We'll bring you more shortly.

Russia is calling for all parties to "show restraint" and "expressed concern" over further escalation after Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel overnight.

"We are counting on the regional states to solve the existing problems with political and diplomatic means," the foreign ministry has said in a statement.

Moscow added that it has warned numerous times that the UN Security Council was unable to "adequately" respond to a strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria, which killed seven officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including top commanders.

It comes after the United States, Britain and France opposed a Russian-drafted UN Security Council statement that would have condemned an attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria.

Iran accused Israel of carrying out that attack, but Israel has said it doesn't comment on foreign reports.

Israel and US were well prepared for Iran's attackpublished at 11:39 British Summer Time 14 April

11:39 BST 14 April

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

Israel, with the help of the United States, was well prepared for Iran’s attack.

It had been telegraphed in advance. But more importantly both Israel and the United States had sophisticated air defence systems already in place.

Israel has had plenty of experience shooting down simultaneous rocket attacks by Hamas from Gaza over many years.

Israel has sophisticated air defences, including its Iron Dome system, David’s Sling and Arrow aerial defence system - which have all been used to take out Hamas rockets.

The US has also been dealing with similar threats in the Red Sea – shooting down drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles fired by the Iranian backed Houthis in Yemen.

US jets on the USS Dwight D Eisenhower have also been involved in destroying Houthi drones from the air, while the carrier strike group’s Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers have been successfully intercepting drones and missiles on a regular bases over the past four months.

In other words, both Israel and the US already knew they had the military capabilities to successfully intercept Iranian weapons.

Image source, .

As we've been reporting, for the first time ever, Iran has carried out strikes against Israeli territory.

The attack happened in the middle of Saturday night, with air raid alerts sounding off across Israel and residents being urged to seek shelter as explosions lit up the night sky. Here's what else you need to know about the attacks:

• Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel, the Israeli military said on Sunday
• The bombardment was launched from several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen
• A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said some Iranian missiles hit inside Israel, causing minor damage to a military base

• US President Joe Biden said "we helped Israel take down nearly all" of missiles and drones
• British RAF Typhoon fighter jets were also deployed to shoot down drones while Jordan says it intercepted flying objects that entered its airspace
• Some 12 people were injured in Israel overall, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari for the IDF said, including a seven-year-old girl from a Bedouin Arab community near the southern town of Arad
• Iran says the attack "achieved all its objectives" and warned Israel against responding in kind

You can read our full explainer on what we know about last night's attack here.

We're just hearing now that Iran's foreign ministry has summoned the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, France and Germany to question the Western diplomats over what Tehran describes as their "irresponsible" stance in regards to the retaliatory strikes on Israel.

We have not heard any response from the respective ambassadors.

Iran attack on Israel crosses a red linepublished at 11:02 British Summer Time 14 April

11:02 BST 14 April

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor

A lot depends on what Israel does now. They're getting a lot of signals from their allies, who helped them out enormously over the course of the night.

The Americans are giving a very strong signal of “ironclad” security - essentially saying "we've got your back". The British and the Jordanians were also involved, and Israel itself has formidable air defence capabilities.

For Iran, I think it will be a bit crushing to see that they got almost nothing through that Israeli defence net. So the question now is: Will Israel decide to hit back, perhaps on Iranian soil? That would be a further escalation.

I've been speaking to a senior western diplomat who tells me that it's been a long night, but that their job now is to draw a line under this.

Please do not, they are telling the Israelis, carry out an attack on Iranian soil.

It’s notable that US President Biden has called for a diplomatic response and is not talking about any kind of military response.

The Iranians telegraphed quite clearly that they were going to do something – the Israelis, the US, Britain and others were ready. So this was a calibrated move on Iran’s part and Western allies are now hoping this will be the end of this episode.

For Iran, it’s very important to restore a sense of deterrence.

That’s what their network of allies across the Middle East is about. Clearly the fact that the Israelis were able to carry out that strike on a diplomatic compound on 1 April and think they could get away with it suggests Iran's deterrence wasn’t very strong and they are trying to restore that.

What has not changed is that the Americans do not want an escalation in the Middle East. A red line has been crossed for the first time – the Iranians have directly hit Israeli soil.

And Israeli right-wingers are already saying there must be a response. So it is by no means certain that this is the end of the episode and if the line is not drawn, it really is a very dangerous moment.

As we've been telling you, Israel says that one child was injured during Iran's bombardment.

That young girl is having surgery for a major head wound, the Times of Israel is now reporting, external, citing the local hospital.

She was reportedly injured after shrapnel from an intercepted missile fell on her family's home.

The girl, who is from a Bedouin town, is currently in an intensive care unit, the Times reports.

Israel says it intercepted the vast majority of missiles launched at it, but there were a small number of hits on its land, including the Nevatim Air Force base in southern Israel which had minor damage to its infrastructure.

Image source, .

More than 300 drones and missiles from Iran, Iraq and Yemen were launched against Israel, an Israeli military spokesman says.

Lt Col Peter Lerner tells BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme: "I know that around 360 various different munitions, 170 explosive drones, 30 cruise missiles, 120 ballistic missiles were fired towards Israel.

"The vast majority of those were intercepted".

The BBC cannot independently verify those figures.

Lerner says the cruise missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were "intercepted before they reached Israel's airspace".

He adds that Israel's aerial defences and support from the US, UK, France and others sent "a very strong message" to Iran.

The US embassy in Jerusalem has recently lifted its "shelter in place" order for US employees, saying the threat of "drone and/or missile barrages has diminished".

Previous travel restrictions that the US placed on employees remain, with people limited to travel within and between the cities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva.

The statement adds that the US, external will "continue to closely monitor the security environment", and that schools remain closed (though most Israeli school children are getting their first day of Passover break) and many flights have been delayed or cancelled.

It also tells US citizens to remain cautious and aware of personal security.

Separately, the IDF has said Israelis across the country no longer needed to stay near protected rooms, but restrictions on gatherings remain in place.

Image source, PA Media

We've just seen some of the images of the debris from one of the projectiles that Jordan intercepted overnight during Iran's attack on Israel, but there were several other countries involved in helping Israel defend itself.

The US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the US military had intercepted dozens of missiles and drones.

UK fighter planes were also involved and an Israeli military spokesperson said France had contributed by patrolling air space.

Meanwhile, Jordan has issued a statement saying it intercepted objects that entered its air space.

As a reminder, President Biden will later host a meeting of G7 leaders to co-ordinate a diplomatic response to Iran's attack.

Image source, AFP

We're getting some images now from AFP, which shows onlookers and security agents standing around the debris of a projectile that was reportedly intercepted over Amman.

Jordan earlier said it had intercepted "flying objects" that breached its airspace overnight as Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel.

The Jordanian military "will confront anything that would expose the security and safety of the nation" the government has said in a statement.

Hezbollah warns Iranian attack 'could usher a new stage in the conflict'published at 09:49 British Summer Time 14 April

09:49 BST 14 April

Carine Torbey
BBC Arabic correspondent, in Beirut

Beirut airport reopened this morning and flights in and out of the Lebanese capital have resumed.

This comes after a very tense night during which one major question here was: will Hezbollah be taking part in the Iranian retaliation against Israel?

It soon became clear it wasn’t. The fear was that Israel could use that to intensify its shelling of southern Lebanon and beyond.

On the open front in between southern Lebanon and northern Israel, the tit-for-tat between the Israeli army and Hezbollah continues.

Hostilities between the two have been ongoing for over six months now.

On the day after the Iranian attack, everyone in Lebanon remains watching closely for Israel’s response, as earlier, a leader of Hezbollah had warned that this “could usher a new stage in the conflict”.

Dr Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House, has told BBC Radio 5 Live that Iran’s attack was “meant to be a kind of spectacle that Iran wanted the world to witness”.

Dr Khatib, who is currently in Lebanon, has said it was “highly choreographed” and “actually quite limited”.

She referenced Iran issuing a statement that it considered the retaliation “computed” before the drones reached their targets in Israel.

“So this shows that Iran just wanted to send a very strong message, to save face, so that it is seen as having responded directly to Israel, but at the same time it definitely does not want the matter to escalate any further.”

How could Israel respond to Iranian attack?published at 09:27 British Summer Time 14 April

09:27 BST 14 April

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

This could still get a whole lot worse. Israel has vowed "a significant response" to Iran’s overnight missile attack.

But what form will that take? Israel’s military and its war cabinet have been debating exactly that.

The most likely targets will be the Iranian bases that launched those missiles.

But Israel could well decide to go further and strike major Iranian military bases and training centres of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps across the country, inflicting human casualties as well as material damage.

Iran would then, undoubtedly, respond again, as it has vowed to do.

So we are now on the ‘middle rung’, as it were, of a very dangerous escalatory ladder.

Governments in the Middle East will be holding their breath as they wait to see the extent and ferocity of Israel’s promised response.

Image source, EPA

There have been several important developments in this story. As a reminder, here are some of the key lines:

• The Israeli military says 99% of the barrage of missiles and drones fired at it by Iran overnight were intercepted without hitting their targets
• Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said "very little damage" has been caused as a result of the attack – but added the "campaign is not over yet", saying the country must "remain alert" and prepared for every scenario
• Israel's prime minister has said on social media "we will win", while the country's president Isaac Herzog praised his country's forces and said that "good will overcome the forces of evil"
• It was Iran's first ever direct attack on Israel, involving more than 300 drones and missiles
• Iran says the attack "achieved all its objectives" and was in response to a strike that killed Iranian commanders in Damascus on 1 April
• On Sunday, Iran reiterated its warning against retaliation, saying this would lead to even larger action
• Meanwhile, the US is convening a meeting of G7 leaders to co-coordinate their response to the attack

Image source, EPA

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned Iran's attack on Israel, saying that he urges "all parties to exercise maximum restraint".

"I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East," he writes in a statement.

"I have repeatedly stressed that neither the region nor the world can afford another war."